Transient
by Azrael's Addiction
Summary: Love is never transient, but location is. A short airy thing. T for language. RLSB


**Transient**

* * *

Remus feels as if he's suddenly gained twice his amount of weight, he feels so heavy. He sags under it, crushed by the dual gravity of disappointment and disappointing. He knew that he was qualified for that position. Overqualified, in fact.

Well, save the issue of his species.

"Sirius," Remus clears his throat, "I lost the job. Hey, Padfoot? I didn't get it. Sirius? I'm sorry, but I can't move to Surrey with you...they wouldn't take me...oh fuck."

Remus has another two hours before Sirius comes home from work. Two hours to figure out how to best tell his lover of three years that they're going to have to break up. Because he can't move with him. Because he can't find a job.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry, but they didn't think I was right for the job."

The weight is crushing. Remus feels it pressing against his skull in a numbing sorrow that won't lighten. They're breaking up. Breaking up.

"Hey, mate. Surprise, surprise: I didn't get the job."

Remus would lose a lover and a home. The realization that he couldn't afford a flat on his own hit him hard.

"Padfoot, I...fuck."

Remus sags into the chair that he and Sirius bought together. Well, it had been Sirius' money and mostly Sirius' choice. The selection process relied completely on what Sirius dubbed as, 'shagability'

Two things were important in calculating the shagability of a chair: 1) could it seat two fully grown men? and 2) how alluring did Remus look sitting in said chair?

Remus blushed and grinned at the memory of Sirius and him exchanging lusty glances in a big box department store.

_Sirius eyed the red leather contemplatively. Well, less so the leather than the man on the red leather. Remus is flushed and ruffled and oh-so-edible. Sirius kneels on the footrest that matches the chair and grins at Remus-eye to eye._

_"I quite like this chair, Moony."_

_"Well, I'm glad. This is probably the thirteenth chair you've 'liked' and I must admit I'm getting tired."_

_Sirius' grin is lecherous. "Tired of looking or of my 'liking' it?"_

_"Looking."_

_"Well, we might as well buy this one so we can 'like' it at home."_

_Remus' smile illuminates Sirius' life. "Sounds wonderful."_

Remus sincerely hopes that Sirius will take the chair with him because having such a sensual reminder in his life might prove too much. Every time he saw it, it would remind him with exquisite pain of Sirius.

Plus there's the issue of what he'd do with the chair, considering he'll be living on a park bench of sorts. Remus winces at this. He doesn't want to be homeless, but there's no denying the inevitable: he can barely afford to eat.

_"Moony, have you been eating?"_

_"I'm okay, Sirius."_

_"No you aren't, I can see your rib-cage. Why aren't you eating?"_

_"I can't afford it."_

_"You git...move in with me. You practically live in my flat as it is."  
_

So he glances at his bookshelf and wonders how much they'd sell for. He guesses maybe fifty or so pounds, but that's being optimistic. Other than that, he doesn't have much. Just things that Sirius has given him, which will-of course-go back to Sirius. That includes the twenty or so wolf-themed items, the wildly inappropriate toys, the art, the typewriter, the lighter engraved with Remus' initials...god he loved that lighter.

_Remus opened up the package slowly, enjoying the incredible care Sirius took in wrapping his birthday gift. Finally, he opened the nondescript box to a gold encrusted lighter with a flick button. On one side, R.J.L. and on the other it promised Light._

_"You know I don't like you smoking, Moony...it's terrible for your health...but I at least want you thinking of me when you suck on something so obviously phallic."_

_Remus grinned and pressed a well deserved kiss to his lovers lips._

James would eventually force him to move in with him and Lily. Which would be embarrassing as all hell. Remus hated to live off of the pity of others.

At least Sirius wouldn't be there; the boy had a tendency towards jealousy.

_"James Potter what the fuck are you doing to my boyfriend?"_

_James leaped off of Remus, where he had him pinned to the floor. They had been wrestling because Remus wouldn't tell James what Lily had said at their last prefect meeting._

_"Boyfriend?" Remus said as James was quick to supply, "We were fighting!"_

_"It didn't look like fighting." Sirius' face is a lovely shade of scarlet and his nostrils are flaring so drastically Remus expects smoke to issue from them. "Merlin, James...I don't share everything with you!"_

_"Oh please, like I'd shag Moony." James rolled his eyes. "I'd rather shag a flobberworm!"_

_"You have very poor taste, James Potter."_

_"Don't I know it?" James threw a solicitous wink to Remus which Sirius somehow finds offensive. And they end up in a similar position as James and Remus were in before, save Sirius is the one who has James pinned._

_Nonetheless, Remus has never felt more content. Boyfriend...  
_

"Sirius? I'm so sorry, but..."

"Remus?"

Remus spins around and grimaces, he hadn't heard Sirius come in through the door. Sirius has a scorch mark on the left elbow of his training robes and is wearing his patented worry-frown. Remus tries to grin the best he can.

"Oh, look at you...did Fabian get that one in? He's always been a great caster, but a lousy shot. Let me see if I can't mend that..."

Before Remus' hand actually connects with Sirius' robe, the other man has pulled away.

"Why are you sorry?"

Remus swallows thickly and reaches for the robe again, desperately. "I really think I can get that back to normal..."

"No, I want to know what's wrong."

Sirius' face is stubborn and Remus knows that look. It's a look that has gotten Remus either one of three things: 1) In serious trouble. 2) Thoroughly shagged. 3) Completely loved. Sometimes it's all three.

_"It's too dangerous, James. Merlin...were any of you thinking?"_

_Peter looks thoroughly shamed and begins to head towards the door of The Shack, but James and Sirius remain steadfast._

_"You're being stupid, Remus."_

_"Am not!"_

_Sirius glares at him. "Are too."_

_"Both of you are," James shouts, "The moon rises in about five minutes. Moony, we're staying."_

_"Moony?"_

_"Yes. James is Prongs. Peter is Wormtail. And I'm-"_

_"Padfoot."_

_"I was going to say Grim or Sharptooth or-"_

_"You're Padfoot."_

_"And I'm staying." Sirius' face solidifies and there is no winning this argument. The marauders are permanently installed in Remus' transformations._

"I...I didn't get the job."

"Oh, darling," Sirius envelopes him in an embrace, "Was that the last one?"

"Yes...I'm so sorry, Padfoot."

"It's alright, love." Sirius kisses his temple. "They'll be paying me double of what they're paying now, I don't mind."

Remus goes stiff and Sirius pulls away to look at him.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I'm not going with you, Sirius."

"What!" Sirius is now clutching Remus' shirt so that he won't tug away. "Why?"

"I..."

"It's not because you want to keep your job now, is it? Because I thought you hated that job-"

"Sirius, I..."

"-In fact, I know you do because you told me so. We can find you something to do there and maybe you can get around to doing those translations you've been wanting-"

"No, I..."

"-to finish. Dumbledore would be ecstatic actually...maybe you could-"

"Sirius, no!"

Sirius goes quiet and he looks so pained that it's almost enough for Remus to swallow his pride and agree. Almost.

"I can't and won't live off your charity."

Sirius rubs his hand over his eyes and retreats to their bedroom alone.

* * *

James has seen the two fight before. He's never liked it granted: Sirius tends to snap at everyone and everything as if it's their fault. Remus won't even look up from his plate. He's said two words to Lily and both were about the dinner she's made. Other than that, he's been completely silent.

"Merlin, James, do you have to slurp your soup? You're making me bloody sick."

Sirius is sitting opposite Lily at the table and diagonal from Remus. They haven't looked at each other once since they flooed here. James sighs.

After dinner, Lily manages to wrangle Remus alone into the kitchen for what James imagines is a solemn discussion over whatever has the couple so troubled.

The kitchen door has barely swung closed before Sirius spills his guts.

"He isn't moving out to Surrey with me."

"Because of this fight?"

"No, you buggering fucktard." From the kitchen they can hear Lily's incessant chatter. Sirius looks longingly towards the door and adds softly, "This isn't a fight."

James is used to Sirius' vulgarity and he pours himself and Sirius another glass of wine. "Looks like one to me."

"No! This is Remus being a goddamned idiot." James waits until Sirius feels the need to continue, which he does. "He is convinced that I only let him into my house out of charity."

"Into your bed as well?"

Sirius actually snorts at this. Maybe there is hope, then. "There's no reading our Moony."

"True enough."

There is a loud bang from the kitchen followed by Remus screaming, "Put it out! Put it out! Merlin, I'll tell you! Put it out!"

They both laugh at this and smile fondly at the door.

"You know," James says after taking a sip from his glass, "It took a lot of work for me to convince Lily to only work part time."

"I've always wondered how you managed that."

"Well, we talked quite a bit. But only after..."

Another bang from the kitchen and this time it's Lily screaming, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"After?" Sirius prompts.

James grins impishly. "Sex."

* * *

Six hours, an entire tube of lubrication, and a bed full of sweaty sheets later and Remus is fast asleep on Sirius' chest. He's breathing heavily as he's wont to do after a proper shag and a small smile quirks the corners of his mouth. Between rounds of petting and thrusting and licking and Merlin-knows-what-else Sirius convinced Remus to move with him to Surrey. Sirius wears an identical smile on his face, one that says perfect contentment.

He sighs happily, kisses Remus' cheek and slips back into a comfortable slumber.

* * *

_Author's Note: Because everyone needs a good shag after a painful fight, don't they?_

_I started smoking again. Has anyone ever used those electronic fags, because I'm not buying one unless they work.  
_


End file.
